The Sleeping Beauty

Taking the stage around Valentine’s Day, this enchanting full-length is one of NYCB’s grandest spectacles of dance, featuring luxurious sets and costumes, Tschaikovsky’s glorious score, and a cast of fantastical characters.

Balanchine never mounted a production of The Sleeping Beauty. He did, however, choreograph The Garland Dance for the 1981 Tschaikovsky Festival, and his choreography is incorporated into Peter Martins’ staging of the ballet. For many years it was Lincoln Kirstein’s dream to mount the ballet at New York City Ballet. Thus, Martins chose Kirstein’s 80th birthday celebration, on May 4, 1987, to announce that the Company would produce The Sleeping Beauty. It is one of the most elaborate productions presented by the Company, requiring over 100 dancers, including students from the School of American Ballet. Martins' version is streamlined into Two Acts, that combine the drama and beauty of the original choreography with the speed and energy for which New York City Ballet is known.